Epilogue
by LeoHiggins
Summary: Final chapter of the 7 sins series.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Negima! Is created by the great Akamatsu Ken. In no way I claim any of the chacters he have created.

A/N: Epilogue for the 7 sins series. Enjoy!

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"_No sin goes unpunished_"

_It was for the best._ Overcast skies hung overhead, promising a downpour. Sakurazaki Setsuna trudged forward on a cobbled road towards a mansion in the distance.

She had flown for a length of time westward, over mountains, forests and a wide body of water until she found land again. Exhaustion and unfamiliar territory had disorientated her, and every step seemed heavier than the last. It was not so much the physical weight of the precious little bundle in her arms but the heaviness in her heart that weighed her down. The spot beside her was uncomfortably empty without her love, the father of her child.

But this was her choice and she will have to live with it.

The days that she spent with him were blissful as they lived in an enchanted villa away for a few months (only a few days in the real world). They had fallen into drunkenness of their love, giving in to their original sin even as their child grew in her. Nonetheless, they still found time to prepare for the arrival of their child by picking up domestic skills and talked about the name for their child and the best way to raise them.

The only thing they had never talked about was what they would do once they left the comfort and protection of the enchanted villa. Perhaps it was because it was something they were not looking forward to but which was always at the back of their minds. There were more than a few times when she found him looking pensively into the space in front of him in a quiet corner of the villa. When questioned, he would smile and dismiss her concern, saying that he could not believe that he could be happier to hear the love of his life bearing his child.

Love: the word that he said to her to express his feelings and part of a three word declaration that he whispered into her ear every night before the rise and fall of their breathing fell in sync with each other's as they slipped into slumber with their bodies intertwined. The days leading up to the birth of their child saw a far more intense expression of affection as he would hold her as if there was no tomorrow, promising that he would always love her. It was assuring yet curious at the same time.

Pregnancy had not been easy for her. She felt bloated and heavy, unused to the additional weight on her usually lithe body and her hands were itching for the familiar weight of her sword. There were times when she had her bouts of worry of their friends; their future; of their child's future; if their child would inherit her...peculiar condition. If so, would their child be shunned by society like her? Would she be blamed for their child's condition? Would her love leave her because of that? So many things could go wrong and it was too overwhelming to think of them. But even as she worried, his presence was always there to reassure her, to kiss her tears away and put her at ease.

Time passed and their child finally arrived in the world: a healthy girl with a fair, radiant complexion and a budding tuft of reddish brown hair. It was an easy birth assisted by the maids of the villa. He stayed by her side the whole time, her hand in his. It was a simple gesture but it meant so much more to her. Pride and happiness shone in his eyes as he tried to hold back the tears in his eyes, holding their child for the first time. But little did she know that the tears fell for other reasons.

Almost immediately after the birth, Evangeline, the owner of the villa and an immortal vampire cursed with eternal youth, stepped into the room in a leisurely manner. The vampire's smirk at that moment still echoed in her mind as she made her way to their side. She stood next to them, considering the baby, excitement evident in her eyes... a little too excited, perhaps. She wordlessly reached out with her hands, waiting for the child to be placed in them. The request was hesitantly obliged.

The child was well behaved, staying silent as the vampire cooed to her. "She has your eyes," she said looking at the father when the child lazily opened her eyes, yawning as she gazed up at the person holding her. The exchange between the vampire and him was not easy to overlook. The moment passed and the vampire returned the child. Her gaze lingered at the mother and child.

"Honya-chan's is placed under care now," she began, "although, I don't think anyone can help her; she's too far gone." She shook her head in pity. "Your Ojou-sama had been missing you, Sakurazaki, but seems like she snapped out of her thoughts and started blaming you for her current state, saying that she would never again want to see you." Evangeline seem to take pleasure as Setsuna paled despite her fair complexion. "I have even more delicious news: seems like Princess Kagurazaka is in a spot of trouble with the law. Of course, one does not easy get away from murder."

"How did that happen?" Negi hurriedly asked once the shock passed.

"Asakura was stabbed: struck right into her heart. She died quickly but Miss Kagurazaka seemed to think it fitting to mutilate the body. Removing fingers and strangling her neck. Someone spotted her though as she was removing the eyes." Evangline tsked, licking her lips wistfully, "What a waste of so much blood."

Setsuna was horrified by what she was hearing. Had she caused this? Destroying so many lives with their acts? What would happen next? They could never return to what things were before now that innocent blood had been spilled. With the scorn of her mistress she could not stand to stay on Mahora anymore. Could things get any worse?

Negi had turned green, as if sick. As if reading their minds, Evangeline was surprisingly consoling, "They brought this upon themselves. They chose to walk on that path of self destruction. Now come on, we still have one last thing to do before we get out of here."

Sitting on her bed with the child in her arms, Setsuna watched in confusion as the vampire walked up to a crestfallen Negi. Before she could react, Evangeline took his head in her hands and tilted his head and sank her sharp teeth into the neck, keenly drawing blood from him.

Setsuna was too stunned to move. A scream caught in her throat. She never expected to see the blood ritual from this close. The child, as if sensing danger, began to squirm in her blanket.

Negi felt the sharp canine teeth punctured his skin followed by the light headed sensation as his blood pressure fell. He felt his heart speed up to accommodate the loss in blood pressure. It felt like his limbs were growing unbearably heavy and spots appeared in his vision. Slowly but steadily, he slipped away into oblivion.

Evangeline sucked till it became too difficult to draw out anymore. She released her jaws, supporting his limp body with hers as she bit into her own wrist and slapped it against his lips. For a few beats, nothing happened as he leaned heavily against the vampire. Then, as though tasting something foreign, an uncertain tongue slipped out to lick the source of the blood. Suddenly, invigorated, he straightened up and grabbed her arm, hungry for more and resisting Evangeline's light effort to withdraw her arm. It was only after the flow had ebbed and the wound had regenerated by her abilities that he stopped.

The ritual was complete and vampire Negi was born.

"The promised is fulfilled. You may go now." Evangeline coldly shot at Setsuna, dismissing her.

Setsuna's mind was spinning. She had barely learnt of the horrific happenings in the real world and just when it seemed that things could not get any worse, the man she loved had been brutally taken away from her, cursed with un-living longevity. Tears began to well in her eyes. How had her life spun out of control so crazily?

"I've wanted a companion after all these years alone. He was given a choice of the child or his life. He chose his and what better way to have him while he's still at my age?" Evangeline toothily grinned, exposing blood stained teeth. "From now on, I'm his future. He has no memory of his past which includes you, Sakurazaki." She leaned down to the mother, her breath rusty and pungent, "I advise you to stay away from Mahora, away from him. There is nothing left here for you. If I ever see you again, I won't be so generous with your life and I will take the child too.

"I will now take my young fledging and begin his life with me," Evangeline helped a disorientated Negi to his feet and walked to the doors, paused and looked back to the anguished mother on the bed, "I expect you to be gone when I return." Those were the last words and the last time Setsuna saw either of them.

Setsuna was lost. Her mind was a whirlpool of thoughts and fears. What could she do? Staying in Mahora was no longer an option for her or her child. Her love was so suddenly taken away from her. Or had he known all along? It would explain his desperate and intense expression of love in the past few weeks leading to her birth. Was it his pride that prevented him to speak of this to her? She would have insisted that they leave the enchanted villa, leave Mahora together and start afresh where they could live in anonymity. Now it was too late. Never again could she feel his sweet caresses and soft breath against her skin.

After crying out her anguish with her child clutched in her arms, she began thinking of her next move. There were too many memories in Mahora, too many complications. She would have to start anew. She would have to strong for both her child and herself. Whatever happened, she could not stay here any longer. The child seemed to understand the situation and gave no sign of protest as her mother packed their necessities in preparation to leave the villa.

She took to the skies, heading west, never looking back.

Exhaustion finally caught up with her as she made it to the final steps to the huge doors of the mansion. It was an ornate heavy double door of a Chinese design: a sign of an influential, albeit traditional home. She glanced up and a wave of realisation washed over her: she now understood how the future came to be. With the last of her strength, she pounded on the door, loud enough to be heard over the low rumble of thunder in the distance. _This is a safe house to be in,_ she thought as she closed her eyes, drifting to an easy sleep at the doorstep of the_ House of Chao_.

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A/N: Thank you for all who supported this series. Perhaps we could reflect on ourselves on some of the things we do and how they may affect others.

Hope to hear your reviews!

An additional author's notes and thoughts will be appene in the nex chapter, entertaining questions of some reviewers

* * Special mention to Cas for helping to proof-read, Thanks! * *


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I own nothing. Now that the canon series is done, I guess I will wrap this series up too. Hope you all enjoy this!

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It was a close fight. If this fight was observed from afar, their sparring partner would, logically, be an unfair match. One was a seasoned fighter: though in her advanced years, she was still able to nimbly dodge and parry whatever her much younger opponent threw at her. The other was a youth, just barely in her teens, but still able to hold her ground with agility and wit.

The youth grinned cheekily as she hastened her strikes and speed up her movement, the one advantage she had over experience, attempting to best her opponent, rapidly throwing a mix of punches, chops, kicks and leg sweeps, all of them successfully evaded, blocked and cumulated with counter of a quick sweeping chop towards the youth's neck. She dipped in a smooth arc to allow the chop breeze over her before she pressed her split second advantage with a sweep of her feet and an elbow aimed at the waist...to which her opponent took a step back and executed an unexpected move which involved grabbing her offending elbow and her forward momentum with a quick pull, she found herself off balance. Rather than feeling embarrassed about her miss-step, the youth stomped a foot to catch her fall and pivoted to return the energy into a round house kick.

Such motions of energy transfer were not taught by her teacher, whom taught mainly large sweeping moves designed to disorientate and combat large groups while being effective and furious against individuals. She was able to improve on it by incorporating simple physics and Chinese martial arts to allow her stance transitions to flow seamlessly. Even when she was taught Japanese techniques, her preference of Chinese stances was noted more than once to be similar as her great-grandfather: a fact that her teacher had allowed a thin bittersweet smile in acknowledgement. In fact, great-grandma was often more pleased than surprised about her achievements in life so far, as if she foresaw it.

The only time surprise was expressed was when she was born: her mother remembered great-grandma's wide eyed surprise transmitted a million miles away to her home in the Mars colony when she was named. When the Great War desolated half of planet Earth and she lost both her parents to the destruction of the colony, the unflappable woman took her in, favouring her more than anyone in the family while she found herself drawn to her. Her cousins were envious how great-grandma would bond with her when she was growing up by letting her tag along to walks into the few remaining forests on earth where great-grandma would, away from others' gaze, stretch her majestic white wings and even allowed her to hold the traditional nodachi that was great-grandma's prized possession. It was there where she was taught traditional martial arts, lost in the planet she was born, which her eagerness to learn was gladly indulged.

Her dreams of opening her own restaurant were largely supported too: it was great-grandma's encouragement and suggestion that she settled on Chinese cuisine. She would toil day and night on her free time, even while children her age were happily playing. Still, she did not mind because her mentor was there with her. Every critique great-grandma made could be summarized with "that's not the taste I remembered". It was not explicitly vocalized but it can be seen on her face till the day she got it right and her restaurant dreams came true (with family backing of course) making her a very successful young entrepreneur...at 10 years of age.

If that was not impressive enough, she was always at the forefront of her peers in the field of academics. Great-grandma had somehow predicted her talent in the field of physics and mechanics. Eventually, she was hailed as one of the genius of her time at the cost of her getting ostracized by her peers...soon she began to see no value in them but only as means to an end. She immersed herself into the sciences, not minding her lack of a social life and found herself intrigued by the possibility of time travel, hoping that she could have somehow reach into the past to change this future where half of the world was devastated and in need of urgent relief due to war and conflict. Great-grandma, ever supportive, expressed encouragement and sounded as if she will surely make it possible someday.

She did.

Initially, small jumps to the past were made using a huge machine which required large amounts of energy (once even shorting her whole lab) but her persistence and intelligence made it possible to fit the mechanism into the size of a palm. Her invention, though backed by sound scientific theory, would not have been possible without the breakthrough discovery of her other hidden potential...magic.

It was discovered by accident when she realised that she was, at times, able to summon things unwittingly: like how whenever she absentmindedly misplaced her tools only to find them hovering right in front of her. Indeed, she was spooked at first but eventually found it especially intriguing once she got over her initial shock. She however noted that she could only use it subconsciously and randomly. As a person of science, she tried to explain her powers to no avail. All she could find in the old tomes was that her magic comes from within and after each fruitless practice session left her tired and drained. But much like how great-grandma would tease her tenacity that was similar to great-grandpa and being undisturbed by her peers, she finally found a way to focus her magic properly through the use of runes mapped onto her body which ultimately helped her solve the energising problem of her machine...at the cost of pain she will have to sustain.

Despite them being close enough for her to tease the old lady's heritage without being disrespectful, she never did tell great-grandma of her powers but her abilities were unwittingly unleashed during an intense sparring session in the form of a fire ball released at close range. Fortunately, her teacher managed to parry her arm away and the projectile crashed into a thick bamboo stem, scorching the surfaced deeply. Amid profuse apologies and hoping she would not be alienated by the one person closest to her, the revelation came as no surprise. It was then great-grandma told her it was time to talk about history and her past.

She learnt that she was not alone with her powers, how the magical world was like, and the good they did for the world in secrecy. It was in the name of secrecy that they, however, merely observed as the earth's ecosystem slowly wilted by Man's abuse. That was the reason for the creation of the Mars colony when the world, for a time, was at peace. It did not last long though as human greed re-ignited the flames of war, leaving the world devastated. She was stumped that the only people who could have intervened in the great war were the people who decided to maintain secrecy...it was akin to a lifeguard turning a blind eye to a drowning victim! To think how many lives could have been spared and anguish averted if action was taken.

Her parents could have been alive!

Yes, perhaps if the world had known about magic earlier, history could have changed. She has the means to do it! She just needs more magical energy to go back far enough. Just maybe, she could even have the opportunity to meet great-grandpa!

Great-grandma, whom had never revealed the full story of her husband, would describe him as a great person with many admirable traits: his selflessness to get things right, his proactive willingness to learn the martial arts to the level of champion in a tournament; he proved himself to be a valuable person during something named "the world tree event" (which the old lady did not dwell much about it except to mention that it was a conflict to control the powerful magical tree, and slipped that it was when they had their first date) and the time he saved the magical world from sure destruction. He was a man of integrity, talent and determination...He was a man she still loves to this day.

From all the stories she heard, she could only surmise that her great-grandparents met when she was in high school and she began to piece together their story. For one thing, even though the actual age was not revealed to anyone, great-grandmother always seem to be at most grandmother in her looks. By simple calculation of estimated ages of the past 2 generations, she deduced that great-grandma could only have conceived during her time in school! Despite persistent inquiry with her theory for the truth, she could not get a verbal confirmation by her mentor... on the other hand, rather than being worried that the young genius was right about her hypothesis, speaking with a pause and a wistful sigh, the old woman revealed his name.

Then came a cryptic advice as the old lady pat her head affectionately: the past is the past and one can only accept and be glad of whatever happiness it brings.

Even so, she decided to go ahead with her plan to attempt to change the future...and meet great-grandpa! She took into account of her age, the time table she will need to prepare the stage to reveal magic to the world and the time when she could confirm great-grandpa's existence...What better time to visit than to join young great-grandma in middle school?

The final keystone was the energy source to go back in time and it was something that was inspired from great-grandma's story: the World Tree. It still stands in the ruins of Mahora Academy despite the horror the land around it has sustained perhaps as suggestion of its supernatural nature. Her plan was simple: make use of the World Tree's magic to send her back to great-grandma's time and make allies to setup the stage for the World Tree's next cycle using funds from her food business. It will be an advantage if she could recruit great-grandpa. After all, if he could save the magic world from destruction, surely he could save the future!

After months of preparation and validation of her plans, the pieces are in place. She will make the trip back in time and time herself to return on the within the same day before she was missed. Yes, she may seem older on her return but for the possibility of a better future in exchange of two years of her life was a worthy cause...

First though, she'll need to figure out how to break out of the hold she was placed in as her mentor grabbed her left arm and in a smooth twist, she was pinned onto the ground. (Chapter 134 Page 4)

- Part 2 -

It was a teary good bye to her friends from the past. In all her life devoted to science, martial arts and business devoid of friends, she finally found that this was what it was like to have friends. To think that she had took them for granted by treating them as allies. They had cared for her, laughed for her, cried with her and had even given her a grand send off. It was an emotional adventure and she could not bear to reveal to them the real future that lay ahead for their future generations...perhaps it was all meant to be this way.

The ruins around her was the testement of her efforts. She had not managed to achieve her main objective of exposing magic to the world but she finally realised the paradox if she did manage to do it: she may not have made the trip back in time if she had not lost of her parents in the timeline of things. She finally understood what her mentor's words meant.

Well, at least she met great-grandpa! She was initially shocked to find that he was just a kid, albeit a genius one to be a teacher. But he was mature for his age though he still had naivity at the edges, especially when he proposed her to stay on and be his partner to change the future.

On another note, it was amusing to think that she may have been the one who brought her great-grandparents together for their first date during the world tree affair and the tournament. Afterall, even if to plant the seeds, she had to assure her future existance.

With a bittersweet smile, she picked up the gifts from her friends and intended to head home...and found great-grandma standing in front of her, expectantly.

"He was an amazing boy, wasn't he?"

With a lopsided grin, she agreed, "a little naive but I can see why you fell for him... I have a feeling that he still loves you too... if he is around." There was a short pause as they took in their surroundings, one thinking about her friends that she left behind, the other about her love. The youth then placed her gifts on the ground and got into her combat stance. "Come obaa-san, lets see if you have learnt how to counter my time traveling instant movement!"

The old lady chuckled, spread her wings, throwing out pure white feathers in her wake, accentuating her grace and power as she took off to the skies to position herself for a dive.

In the distance away, one of such feathers drifted with the wind and landed into a waiting palm. It was still warm to the touch. The young burnette stared at it for a long while, admiring the soft down attached to a tough stem. The wave of nostalgia that resounded in him which left him wondering the significance of the object which offered him a warm comfort mared by an odd sense of loss. He twirled it by the stem, intending to keep it, and looked up to the direction it came from.

"What do you have there?" His blonde partner approached from behind. Her silent approach may startle any other person but he was already used to her presence and stalking habits.

"Just something that fell from the sky," He said after a scan of the devastated landscape in front of him then looked down and continued to admire it, "it's amazing that such a thing can still survive in this place."

He felt her gaze on the feather. For some reason, she seemed to have found the item in his hand offensive, as if she had found an old, forgotten feud. As expected, the feather was suddenly encrusted in a thick layer of frost and shattered. "Let's go."

He allowed himself a small smile, she has always been so harsh, saying that sentimental things were a waste of time. Giving the horizon a final scan, he turned to follow, with his hands in his pocket, brushing his fingers on the feather, thankful of his quick thinking.

If he had looked a moment longer, he might have spotted the two figures locked in aerial combat.

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AN: Well, this is the end of this series. I hope it ties up some ends. Many thanks to all those readers who provided feedback and thank you for the support. It gives any writer confidence and the sense that there are people who can respond to the stories.

To some reviewers out there who asked: This won't be the end of my Negi/Setsuna stories if Love Mahora poll seem to be still very supportive of them =)


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